Thursday, July 28, 2011

The amazing Green sea turtle crawl!

I was not very excited to wake up at 4:15 this morning to the sound of wind howling across the chimney and sheets of rain hitting the bedroom window. Luckily the rain had let up by the time I got to Opal Beach and what an awesome patrol it turned out to be! Not only did I discover my sixth sea turtle nest of the season, but it turned out to be that of a Green! It's the first Green sea turtle nest I've ever found!

The mama turtle's crawl was 41" wide and what a path she made! There were two body pits (eggs were found in the second pit), and there were three loops where she became disoriented afterward, as she tried to make her way back into the Gulf of Mexico. Considering she probably weighed 300 lbs or more, you can imagine how tired this poor mama sea turtle must have been by the time she made her way back into the sea.

By the way, this is the sixth Green sea turtle nest of 2011 season (out of the total 75 nests to date). So far, all of the Greens have nested in the Santa Rosa area of Gulf Islands National Seashore.

DJ!how awesome!!!she had to have been HUGE!!!41" is nearly 3 1/2 feet or a little over a YARD wide!mind boggling how these creatures of the sea become lumbering tanks on land in their struggle to reproduce..simply amazing!Hats off to you and all who do the job of finding, documenting and protecting the eggs and babies for their safe return to the sea!warmest sandy hugs..Loui♥

I have been keeping up with your posts through Flipboard, an App on my iPad. These blogs come in so lovely on there. I had to email this to a few folks out of the area to let them see what our turtle nesting season is all about...you have done such a fine job with this. Just wanted you to know it's appreciated more than you have any idea!Thanks!~margo~

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About Me

My name is D.J. A few years ago I moved to one of the most beautiful places in the world--Pensacola Beach, Florida. I love exploring the beach, documenting its changes with my photos, volunteering to help our sea turtles, attending concerts on the beach in the summer, and participating in many of the events we have throughout the year. I also enjoy sharing my photographs with you so that you can appreciate the beauty of our very special island.